


Gurnsey

by Selnyam



Category: Changeling: The Lost
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Fairy Tale Elements, Gen, Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 04:05:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18328286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selnyam/pseuds/Selnyam
Summary: The tale of Gurnsey, an NPC in my Changeling world, a merchant of sorts.





	Gurnsey

“Hello there little boy, What can ol’ Gurnsey do for you?” Benjamin turned to the man sitting on a garbage can in the alleyway. He was wearing an overcoat covered with pockets and had scraggly black hair that stuck out underneath a large hat.  
“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers” Benjamin said, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders. The man slid off the garbage can and bowed to him. Benjamin was a little small for his age of 12 years, and this man was only a few inches taller than he was. While unique looking, he didn’t feel danger from the man.  
“Smart Boy, but there’s nothing strange about me. My name is Gurnsey, and I’m a salesman who can help you. You look like there’s something you need. I assure you I can get you anything.” The man opened his coat and began pulling wallets out of it.  
“For example, how would you like a new baseball glove?” as he spoke he reached into a wallet and miraculously pulled a baseball glove out of it. Benjamin gasped in surprise. Gurnsey grinned, showing oddly shaped teeth. He continued naming objects, pulling various objects out and setting them on the ground. Benjamin watched, not sure what to say. Gurnsey shook his head.  
“Maybe something more exotic? Say, the roar of a lion on an African plain?” As another wallet was opened the sound of a lions roar rumbled forth, startling Benjamin enough that he took a step back. The wallets and their trinkets disappeared back into Gurnsey’s coat. “No? Well then, why don’t you tell me what I can get for you son?” Benjamin looked around then softly spoke.  
“Right now I just want to get far away from home. I’m picked on at school and my parents hate me. I’m running away to find my own place.”  
“You’re a pretty brave boy to head out on your own. I think I have the exact thing you’re looking for! It will cost you though.” Gurnsey smiled warmly, reaching into his pockets.  
“I don’t have much money” Benjamin muttered sadly.   
“Don’t worry my boy! I don’t always accept money. You see, everything has a price. If you don’t have money I’ll take something else, something you won’t even miss.” As he was speaking Gurnsey pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket and began drawing a large rectangle on the nearby building. Once it was complete he drew a small circle with a key hole on it, completing a drawing of a door. He turned to the boy and pulled a small brown key from one pocket, while sliding the chalk back into another.  
“Now my boy this key will take you far away, to a place just for you! All it will cost you is your surname. That’s your last name.” Benjamin gave him a skeptical look.  
“How can I give you that? That’s not a thing.” Gurnsey chuckled and shook a finger at the boy.  
“Now, now. You can trust Ol’ Gurnsey. Simply whisper your name into this small jar and your payment will have been made, then you can unlock the door!” Benjamin looked from the key to the jar. He thought and thought for a while then looked back in the direction he’d came from. A determined nod of his head and his mind was made up.   
He whispered his last name over the jar’s opening and felt a strange pulling sensation in his mouth when he did. A faint green light began to glow in the jar as Gurnsey slapped a lid on it and slid it into a pocket. The man gestured to the door. Benjamin shook his head. He knew he’d just whispered something into that jar, but he couldn’t remember what it was. They key was slipped into his hand, and he walked over and pressed it against the knob. To his surprise the key slid into the wall and made a soft clicking sound. The wall slid inward along the chalk lines, as if the door was real. Benajmin’s jaw dropped as the opening revealed a dirt path through a giant forest. Gurnsey put an arm on his shoulder and pointed down the path with a small flashlight.   
“There you are my boy, come along. I’ll lead you there.” Benjamin followed Gurnesy a little nervously, but excited to see what lay ahead in this magical forest. He was so focused on the path before, that he did not notice the door behind them closing, the key already taken by his guide. He missed as the light from the alley disappeared, the way back to the city gone forever.  
After several hours Benjamin’s feet were beginning to hurt a little. Gurnsey had been good company, allowing him rest and time to eat the snacks in his backpack. He’d even sang strange old songs as they walked. Benjamin was about to ask him how far it was when the trees moved on the side of the path. From out of the wood stepped a tall horned being. It was thin and dressed in robes, and a pair of antlers sprang forth from it’s forehead. It’s eyes were large and almond shaped, the color of shining emeralds, glowing slightly in the dim forest light. The being turned to Gurnsey and spoke in a voice that was not unlike the wind blowing through the trees on a spring day. Gurnsey nodded, and the thing handed him something small and shiny.  
Benjamin stared in awe at the creature until more sprang from the trees and lifted him into the air. His backpack was thrown aside, and the creatures began tieing him up. Benjamin began screaming for help, but Gurnsey only turned his back and walked away.  
Gurnsey hurried back along the path, wanting to get the sounds of the boy’s crying far behind him. He broke into a run, holding the item clutched tightly in his hand. After a while he cut through the woods to a small cabin, nestled between two huge trees. Gurnsey slipped inside and shut the door behind him. Opening his shirt he opened the pocket in his chest and pulled out a small wooden box. A key pulled from the pocket in the roof of his mouth opened this chest. Nestled within, on velvet lining were silver shards, the shattered pieces of his heart. Gurnsey lay the newest shard among them. “Everything has a price my boy. Everything.”


End file.
